Dry kiln



Feb.- zs, 192s. 1,660,670

c. w. GouLD 4- y DRY KILN v P51166 sepuz. 1926 4 sham-sheety 2 m. m6, xm

Feb. 28, 1928.

. w. GouLD DRY KILN Filed s ept y Z. 1925 0 BY fr Sheets-Skaai 3 INV-ENToR ATTORNEY Patented Feb, 28, 19428.

' UNITED CLARK W. GOULD, OF '\TElB,1\l'ONI'.A,A OREGON, ASSIGNOR T0 WESTERN BL'WER (10mm,

0F SETTLE, WASHINGTON. r

Application filed September 26, 1925. Serial No. 58,719.

' This invention relates to improvements in drying kilns for various materials but particularly for the drying of lumber; the principal object of the invent1on being to provide a kiln embodying 'means whereby a forced circulation of the drying medium, that is, heated air, may be effected with a high degree of efficiency and economy.

More particularly the invention resides in the details of construction and relationship of the air heating and air circulating means to a novel arrangement of baiiles and deflectors whereby the airis -caused to circulate in such manner as to effect a uniform drying of the material within the kiln in a minimum length of time.

Other objects of the invention reside. in the various details of construction and combination of parts as will hereinafter be described. 1

l In accomplishing these objects of the 1n- I vention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereiny Figure 1 is a vertical, transverse section of a drying kiln embodied by the present invention.

`Figure 2 is a vertical section taken loinguitdinally of the kiln on the line 2-2 1n v Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section of the kiln taken substantially on the line 3 3 inA Figure 2.

Figure 4 1s a perspective view of a part Referring more in detail to. the severalv views of the drawings- 1 and 2 designate opposite sidewalls of the kiln, 3 the floor, 4 the top or roof, and

`5 and 6 the opposite end walls, all of which are united to form a closed chamber suitable for the drying of lumber or other material therein. The end walls are made with -suitable openings' 7 through which the inaterial to be dried may be moved yinto or from the kiln and doors 8 are yprovided whereby the o enings maybe closed.

Extending engthwise of the kiln and through the openings 7 are parallel rails 9 forming a track on which wheeled cars or trucks l0, as shown in'F-igure 1, may travel and on which the lumber to be dried may be stacked and moved into and from the kiln. The rails 9 are supported at regular intervals by I-beams l1 that extend transversely between the side walls-of the kiln and at such elevation above the Hoor as to provide suiiicient space below them for the air heating means and mechanism provided for the promoting of a circulation lof the air through and about the material being dried.

The trucks 10 may be of any desirable character suitable for this work upon which .upwardly yand then over the top of the load and then downwardly through the slits 12.

The air heating means which I prefer and which is herein illustrated is of the return bend type and consists of a plurality of steam pipes 14 that extend, in vertically spaced relation, longitudinally of the, kiln along the opposite side walls below the Alevel of the track and .these are supplied with steam or other heating medium desired from a source outside the kiln through the feed pipes 15. The means providedV for promoting and properly directing the air circulation con sists of baille plates 17 and 18 which extend substantiallyl the length of the kiln and which are relatively convergent, as shown best in Figure 1, the upper edges of these bales terminating -ust below the level of the bottom of the truc 10 and their transverse extent preferably being equal to the width of the trucks so that they serve as a co1- lector of the air vcurrents `coming downwardly from the slits or passages 12 in the lumber stacked on the truck?. The distance between the lower edges of they convergent bales should be at least equal to the sum accommodate all the air that comes through v them.

The baille plates 17 and 18 constitute, as shown best in Figure 1 and Figure 4, a lon'- gitudinally extended collector to a longitudinally co-extensive compartment 21 that is defined by two vertical, spaced yapart lati eral walls 22 and 23, the lower edges of which, as shown in Figures l and 2, terminate at sutlicient distance above the loor ,as to'permit an easy exhaust of 'the air from the collector toward the opposite sides of the kiln but they ma if desired, be extended to the Hoor andt e air exhausted through the side openings, presently described.

At spaced intervals throughout the length of the -compartment 21 are transverse partitions or walls 25 with circular openings 26 therein within which 4suction fans 27 oper-y ate; the fans being fixed to a shaft 28 that extends longitudinally of the kiln centrally of the compartment 21 and which istrotat- Y baille ably mounted -in journals 29 on hangers. or brackets 30 suspendedl from certain of the I-beams 10. The shaft may' be rotated vby any suitable mechanism such as a motor 30,

shown in Figure 3, 'which preferably is located externally of the kiln.

At corresponding sides of each of the partitions' 25 in spaced relation thereto l"and to the fans 27, are baille plates 34 that extend transversely of the com artment 21 between the walls 22l and 23. T ese balfes, asshown in Figures 1 to 4, are inclined downwardly away from the fans. The side walls 22 and 23 are cut away between the battles and partition walls 25 so as to provide lateral openings 35'and the top of the compartment -between the upper edges of the. bales 34 and partition walls 25 are closed by horizontal plates 36 so that air blown byA the fans against the bales will not be diverted upwardly.

Within the closed portion of the compart ,ment 21 about midway between the fans'l and bailles 34 are correspondingly inclined lates 40 extended between the ywalls 22 an 23 across the upper half of the compartment. These latter bailles serve with the bales 34 to direct the air after it moves downwardly through the load of lumber and into the collector, to the fans which operate to discharge it through the lateral openings 35 to the heatin ipes.

In the modied construction, shown in .Figure 6, the baies 40 and walls 34 are arranged in vertical planes for, in some instances, this is more desirable.

The movement of heated air upwardly along the sidesfof the kiln in the passages 13 may be acceleratedV by the placing of pipes 41 longitudinally of the kiln adjacent the side walls below thev level of the truck and Yto provide these pipes at closely spaced in pipes 40 as before stated.

tervals with.v orifices 41 through which steam maybe forcibly discharged in an up;l ward direction.v Pipes 42 may likewise Vlocated adjacent-the top of the kiln to discharge jets of steam downwardly to accelerate clrculatlon 1n a reverse direction.

Assuming that thekiln is so constructed,I l

heating system', it rises along the sidewalls of the kiln to the top and then rol-lsin- .wardly over the top of the load and is then drawn by suction downwa'dly through the slits 12 in the`load and into the collector defined by the convergent baies 17 and 18l and compartment 21'. The operation of the fans draws the air from the collector into the compartment 21 where it is deiected by the inclined bailles 34 and 40 to the fans and is dischargedthereby through the openings 26 in .the partition walls 25 and against the under sides of the bailies 34 and is expelled laterally through thel openings 35 to the .pipes of the heating systemior I 'eheating and a continuous repetition of the operation.

At the start, thejcirculation may be augmented by the discharge of steamfrom the The important feature of the resent system resides in the relation of the aille plates to the loadfand to each other and their continuing walls 22 and 23 which, with the sidewalls of the truck 10, serve to separate the upwardly moving heated air `from the downwardly 'moving air that is saturated --with L'moisture absorbed from the material being dried.

`It Vis to beunderstood that while I have described the operation for the movement of air in a downward direction through fthe load, 1t ma ,if desired, be reversed by a reersal of t e direction of operation of the ans.

IJ claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is: i

1. A dry kiln comprising' a chamber, and truck supporting tracks therein, in combination with baille plates extending below said tracks substantially the length of the cham` ber and spaced from the sidesv of the charnber, res ectively, and from each other, and means or producing heated air circulation within the chamber .between the baille plates and at therespective sides thereof.

Having. thus described .my invention, what los 2. f A- dry kilncomprising a chamber, and

truck supporting tracks therein, in combina'- tion wit extending below rsaid tracks substantiallymutually converging baille plates Leader@ .i er

the length of'the chamber and spaced from the sides of the chamber, res ectivel and from each other, and means or pro ucing heated air circulation within the chamber between the baille plates and at the respective sides thereof.

3. Adry kiln comprising a chamber, and truck supporting tracks therein, in combination with baille plates extending below said tracks substantially the lengthof the chamber and spaced from the sides of the chamber, respectively, and from each other, lateral walls defining a compartment open for air circulation below the baille plates, and heating means disposed within the chamber upon opposite sides of said compartment.

4. A d ry kiln comprising a chamber, and truck supporting tracks therein, in combination with baflie plates extending below said tracks substantially the length of the chamber and spaced from the sides of the chamber, respectively, and from each other, lat- -eral walls defining a'compartment open for air circulation below the baiile plates, and

. heating means consisting o f return bend lheater system disposed within the chamber upon opposite sidesoffsaid compartment.

5. A dry kiln comprising a chamber, and truck-supporting tracks therein, in combination with baffle plates extending below said tracks substantially the length of the chamber and spaced from the sides of the chamber, respectively, and from each other, lateral walls' defining a compartment open for air circulation belowthe baiile plates, heating means disposed within the chamber upon opposite sides of said compartment, and means for aiding air circulation disposed Within said compartment. f p

6. A dry kiln comprising a chamber, and truck-supporting tracks therein, in combination with heating means disposed within the chamber below the tracks and on opposite sides of the chamber, in combination with means disposed medially within the chamber for collecting the circulatory medium of `air circulation promoted by said heating means and for diverting said medium towards opposite sides of the chamber.

7. A dry kiln comprising a chamber, and truck-supporting tracks therein, in combination with bai-lie plates extending below said tracks substantially the length of the chamber and spaced from the sides of the chamber, respectively, an-d from eachother, means for producing heated air circulation within the chamber between the bafileplates'and at the respective sides thereof, and upwardly dischargingA accelerator pipes located in operative relationship to the spaces between the baille plates,"` respectively, and the adj acent walls of the chamber.

8. A dry kiln comprising a chamber, `and truck-supporting tracks therein, in combination with bafile `plates extending below said ltracks substantially the length of the chamvber and spaced from the sides of the chamber, respectively, and from each other, lateral walls defining a compartment open for aircirculation below the baille plates, heating means disposed within the chamber upon opposite sides of'l said compartment, and

Vmeans for aiding air circulation disposed within saidcOmpartmeDt, said means last' named consisting of rotative fans mounted in said compartment, said compartment being subdividedfor the operative accommodation of each fan.

10. The combination within a chamber of truck-supporting tracks and trucks united in, pairs by cross-beams with an edgewise piled load of lumber on the cross-beams disposed so as to provide vertical spaces between the load and the opposite side walls of the chamber for air Bcirculating in one direction, and vertical slits through the body of the load for air circulation in direction opposite to that of the air circula-tion first' named, means for producing heated air'cir- `culation through said spaces and slits, and

means for collecting the air discharged from the complement of slits and distributing in circulation to the spaces aforesaid, respectively.

l1. truck-supporting tracks, therein, in combina- A dry. kiln comprising a chamber, and

tion with bae plates'extending below said f tracks substantially the length of the chamber and spaced from the sides of the chamber, respectively, and from each other, lateral walls defining a compartment open for air circulation below the baffle plates, heating `means disposed within the chamber upon opposite sides of said compartment, and means for aiding' air `circulation disposed within said compartment, said means last named consisting of rotative reversible fans mounted in said. compartment, said compartment being subdivided for the operative accommodation of each fan, and accelerator and reverse accelerator pipes having, respectively, oppositely discharging jet oriiices and being alternately operative to suit the direction of rotation of the fans.

12. A dry kiln comprising a chamber, and truck-supporting tracks therein, in combination with baille extending below said tracks substantlally the length of thev chamber and spaced from the sides of the lchamber, respectively, and from each other,

lateral walls defining a compartment open forair circulation below v the ba-les plates,

i transverse vertical partitions subdividing 'said compartment having openings therein,-

a' rotative, reversible shaft extending longitudinally of the compartment through said openings, fans on said shaft Within said openings,y inclined baille plates closing o said compartment at correspondin sides of the partitionwalls, and saidd'atera walls heating means being cut away between said -partitionwal-ls and said inclined baies thereby providin lateral openings for thefexhaut of air, .an

compartment.

viding said compartment and havin through sa'idg'lateral openings'.l at'. opposite sides of saidl A dry comprising a' chmber, and

truck-supporting tracks therein-,iin combination with 'baille plates extending lbelow said -tracks substantially the len h of the chamberland spaced from the si esof the chamber, respectively, and from each other, lateral walls deining a compartment 'open for air circulation below the ,'baiiieplate's, 'saidsubdivisions of said 4compartment and baffies arranged transversely@ of.the compart- 'compartment having openingsA in its oppoment for deiecting air from the fans,

Signed at.v `Yernonia, Columbia` County,

Oregon, this 1st day of September, 1925. v

CLARK W.- GOULD Y c 

